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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Dick Bennett is probably both proud and
perturbed.
What was originally billed as Bennett's homecoming instead
became a tribute to his coaching legacy Wednesday night when Wisconsin (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 17 AP) fought off Wisconsin-Green Bay 61-53.
|  | | Wisconsin's Charlie Wills, left, and Ryan Mueller battle for a rebound in the Badgers' 61-53 win. |
"Coach told us it was going to be like playing ourselves in
practice," said Roy Boone, who led the Badgers with 15 points.
And it was. Not a single fastbreak basket was scored in the game
pitting the last two teams coached by Bennett.
The Badgers (4-1), the first Big Ten team to play in Green Bay
since Northwestern 14 years ago, improved to 2-0 under acting coach
Brad Soderberg.
The game was supposed to mark the return of Bennett to the court
he made famous during his nearly decade-long stretch as Green Bay's
coach, when he turned the Phoenix into a nationally recognized
program before taking over the Badgers in 1995.
But Bennett, 57, retired last week, a victim of burnout just
three games into his sixth season at Wisconsin. So, the first
sellout crowd in Brown County Arena in five seasons was left to
treasure Bennett's legacy by both teams' miserly play.
Soderberg and Phoenix coach Mike Heideman said Bennett's
handprints would be all over this game, and they were right. The
game was a clinic of hard-nosed, in-your-face defense that left
very few shots uncontested.
"They're a tough team," Boone said. "They're similar to us.
They play a pack defense like we do and that made it hard for us to
get the easy shots we get against other teams."
But the Badgers made the most of what shots they did get,
shooting 58 percent from the floor and missing just one of 15 free
throws.
The Phoenix (3-4) trailed 51-32 with 8½ minutes left when they
used a 13-4 run to pull to 55-45 on Mike King's two free throws
with 2:42 remaining. But Green Bay couldn't get the deficit below
double digits until Aaron Shaw's 3-pointer with 11 seconds left
made it 59-50.
Chris Sager led the Phoenix with 18 points. King scored 12 of
his 14 points after halftime, but leading scorer Aaron Jessup
scored just one point, 11 below his average.
"It's hard because we mirror each other," Heideman said. "I'd
much rather play a team that runs 94 feet. Baskets come hard for us
against them."
Six players scored at least eight points for Wisconsin,
which didn't get a field goal in the final 5:53 but was a perfect
6-for-6 from the foul line in that time.
Wisconsin, which led 33-22 at halftime, improved to 7-0 against
the Phoenix, a member of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference.
"Last Wednesday at noon when Coach told me Maryland was his
last game, my first thought, honestly, was: 'I've got to take this
team to Green Bay now,' " Soderberg said.
But the "hornet's nest" that Bennett warned him about never
materialized.
"They were in control of the game," Heideman said. "We
weren't in it enough to make the crowd a factor."
This was the Badgers' first trip to Green Bay, a measure of
Bennett's loyalty to his old school. He knew better than anybody
how hard it was for the Phoenix to attract major programs, and once
all of his former players left the Phoenix, he arranged a
home-and-home series.
Bennett wasn't there himself but his style was on full display.
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Wisconsin Clubhouse
Wisconsin Green Bay Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Wisconsin Green Bay's Ryan Mueller hits the glass then draws a foul and get the bucket to drop.
avi: 978 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Wisconsin's Andy Kowske gets the nice feed from Roy Boone and slams it home.
avi
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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